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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28235889">still like a lake</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/virdant/pseuds/virdant'>virdant</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Finding Peace amidst turmoil, Gen, Jedi Appreciation (Star Wars), Jedi Culture &amp; Tradition (Star Wars), Jedi Culture Respected, Meditation, Room of a Thousand Fountains (Star Wars)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:00:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>666</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28235889</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/virdant/pseuds/virdant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>The water will churn as it falls, gravity pulling it down. It will travel its paths, along rivers and streams. And eventually, the water will settle in one of the many lakes—like small seas—in the Room. It will settle, still and clear, so still and so clear that they will be able to look down and see the bottom of the Lake: the stones, the logs that crisscross beneath the surface, the bright colors of algae. They will be able to see the fish darting back and forth, so clear, as if they were within reach. In the stillness of the lakes, their depth is deceptive, because all is so clear.</i> </p><p>--</p><p>Ahsoka finds Obi-Wan meditating in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Luminara Unduli &amp; Quinlan Vos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>still like a lake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexTirZeng/gifts">AlexTirZeng</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For Alex. Happy birthday, Alex! Thank you for all of your love; I love you very much, and I hope you enjoy this snippet. :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Master Obi-Wan is in the Room of a Thousand Fountains when Ahsoka finds him.</p><p>He’s meditating by the Pearl Shoal Waterfall, small against the curtain of water that pours over the rocks, the foam like seed pearls. It’s one of the wider waterfalls in the room, a curtain or water that tumbles over the rough cliff-face.</p><p>Everybody has their own preferred spot in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Ahsoka hasn’t seen Obi-Wan here before—he prefers the still lakes, the glassy surfaces clear and clean and the bottom a riot of colors from the algae. Ahsoka finds him by Five-Color Lake the most often. But he’s sitting here, legs crossed, eyes closed and his mouth at ease.</p><p>Master Luminara is there beside him, and Master Vos too, the three of them in a circle as the water roars. It’s rare for all of them to be at the Temple at the same time, with the War always lingering. It roars in the distance, like the steady beat of water against rocks, always present and waiting for them.</p><p>Ahsoka stands at the edge, wondering if she should interrupt.</p><p>Master Obi-Wan opens his eyes, smiles. “Ahsoka, Padawan.” His voice cuts through the roar of the water. “Come join us.”</p><p>She doesn’t meditate with Master Anakin very often—Master Anakin prefers the movement of katas for his meditation, and Ahsoka’s taken up the same habits. But she remembers coming the Room of a Thousand Fountains as an initiate, taking care of the Tookas that live by Reed Lake, she remembers learning how to swim in the shallow waters of Grass Lake. She’s walked along the edge of Pearl Shoal Waterfall, waded into its depths.</p><p>She settles, cross-legged, at Master Obi-Wan’s right. Master Luminara and Master Vos shift to widen their circle.</p><p>“Should we do guided meditation?” Master Obi-Wan asks. It’s a rhetorical question. “Close your eyes and relax, young Padawan. Let your mind drift, like the water as it tumbles over the edge. Let them come and go—”</p><p>Ahsoka has been at war for months, now. War is different from the Temple, with the dead and dying aching in the Force, with the sick and wounded sobbing. Unlike the light of the temple, War is the shroud of the dark side, lingering always just within reach.</p><p>Ahsoka takes a breath, and releases it. She feels the fears and anxieties tumble around her, like foam on rough stone, like pearls. She catches each of them and lets them go and fall into the stillness of the lake below.</p><p>The water will churn as it falls, gravity pulling it down. It will travel its paths, along rivers and streams. And eventually, the water will settle in one of the many lakes—like small seas—in the Room. It will settle, still and clear, so still and so clear that they will be able to look down and see the bottom of the Lake: the stones, the logs that crisscross beneath the surface, the bright colors of algae. They will be able to see the fish darting back and forth, so clear, as if they were within reach. In the stillness of the lakes, their depth is deceptive, because all is so clear.</p><p>She closes her eyes and lets herself still: so she is not the foam of the waterfall, but the stillness of the lake. She lets her heart settle, surrounds herself in the light, and looks into clear waters and sees all of her fears underneath the surface as clear as day.</p><p>Five-Color Lake is like this: so clear that it feels as though the colors are just within reach, but when you reach in, your arm sinks deeper and deeper and the bottom is far beyond the touch. Perhaps, Ahsoka thinks, that is why Master Obi-Wan likes it so much.</p><p>Master Obi-Wan says, “You are safe, here. You do not need to tumble and fall.”</p><p>Ahsoka closes her eyes, and slowly, she lets herself rest from the war.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i actually haven't spent too much time thinking about the Room of a Thousand Fountains and what it would be like, but I decided to sit down and THINK about it and the only thing I could really relate it to was Jiuzaigou, which is a nature preserve in Sichuan.</p><p>I was very lucky to be able to visit it in 2008, and it's always stayed with me, even though I've seen other national parks like Yosemite. The lakes are so clear, the paths meander, and there is something so peaceful about it, even though it was crowded and the walkways were full of tourists. All of the lakes are called "Seas" in Sichuan dialect. They're named for the logs that lie beneath the surface, for the bright colors of the algae that you can see through crystal clear waters.</p><p>After sitting down to think about what the Room of a Thousand Fountains would actually be like, I kept thinking about Jiuzaigou--about the way I walked from one lake to another, the stillness of the water, and the way that even among a crowd of tourists, it felt like I was at peace. </p><p>--</p><p>Edit: Now with <a href="https://adinavdeb.tumblr.com/post/638266048182976512/master-obi-wan-is-in-the-room-of-a-thousand">ART from aliche</a>! Go give it a like and rebagel, folks!</p><p>--</p><p>here's how you can find me.</p><ul>
<li>asian jedi agenda, my new writing discord (pls ask for link)</li> 
<li>Follow me on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/virdant/">@virdant</a>
</li>
<li><a href="">Like &amp; retweet on twitter</a></li>
  <li>Comment and kudo below</li>
</ul></blockquote></div></div>
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